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I am a bit late to the party with this book. It has been converted for the stage by the time I am finally reading it and there is already a tremendous weight of positive feedback wherever you care to look it up. What I didn't expect was the simplicity of delivery which a story with this much dimension can be executed. Those who have read enough horror or fantasy will implicitly know the stakes and the types of supernatural players involved, yet the story is noteworthy in being so delicately imparted through a seven-year old's innocent point of view. The story follows the systematic isolation of the hero by a sinister imposter in the family home, which authentically reeks of any young nightmares I certainly remember having at this age. Unlikely alliances, consequences and lingering magic bolt along and the story is suddenly over with an aftertaste of hope/haunting/regret. I don't know. I will be reading this again.

McConaughey's recent memoir. The blurb on my copy promised a certain level of buccaneering content. The experience was a pleasantly surprising adventure of madder than fiction whimsical wanderings, philosophy and a refreshingly chaotic approach to career-management. His parents and siblings also deserve a nod of recognition for being truly memorable people in their own right.

Memoirs frequently don't live up to the mystique of the teller, but this categorically does not happen here. There is close to the bone honesty that is difficult to exercise skepticism for given how frankly the writing comes across. Given some of the subject matter, I struggle to picture what content discussions had to have crossed between him and any editor. I want to believe there was no ghost writer involved too, as the delivery is just edgy and rough enough around the edges that it does feel genuinely our guy's own words.

I don't like to skip any content if I plan to finish a book, but a few of the scrapbook-style philosophy pages should only be glanced off for full effect. Either way, I thank the author for adding "mensch" to my lexicon and throw it right back at him.

20th century mankind discovers another species on Earth that is capable of civilization, but it needs some assistance from us. It is going to get messy.

Almost an antique, this story was written in 1936 and may initially give the sense of not having aged very gracefully. Taken as a whole, it proved to be a refreshing and balanced vehicle for delivering a lorry-load of deadpan black humour with a relentless focus on ethical, economical and geopolitical norms that have not lost any currency with the antics of current times. The author makes use of multiple perspectives to put flesh on the bones of a wide cast of players, and quite casually denies the reader of any heroes whatsoever as events inexorably move from quotidian to epic.

Initially the pace seems a bit slow, but this relatively short book suddenly covers a lot of ground without breaking a sweat. I'm left with the impression that the writer had a lot of fun putting this together.

The book is an essay charting the author's personal odyssey to master Japanese. She starts with a daring jump into the deep end, learning on the job as an English teacher in a remote corner of the country. Witty, insightful and sometimes painfully frank, this becomes a story of an imperfect heroine finding her place in the abyss between the two cultures she originally expected to bridge as a translator.

Beautifully written and not overbearing on the technical, the book uses a clever hook to theme each bite-size chapter on a specific memetic formed of two syllables in Japanese. These titular 50 Sounds enable deeply nuanced understanding between native speakers, but rather than simply being a dictionary of terms, the book's chapters spin the definitions for each sound as a cipher for understanding the many escapades our hero has crashed through on her quest.

The author's bravery in cataloging her failings is unquestionable. Her redemption through self awareness and erudition are delicately demonstrated across the chapters thanks to the philosophical clout smuggled into the text.

This book is a little treasure that conveys more provocation of thought than most will have expected they would would be signing up for.